The American Dream
by Mallory Midnight
Summary: Poppy has had to leave England and move to the United States with her family. Her passion for horses is fuelled at Chestnut Hill, her new boarding school, and she is determined to make the school jumping team. But who will stand in her way?
1. Chapter 1

Poppy Tyler couldn't stop shaking. It was her first day at her new school, and she should have been excited, but all she could think about was home. She couldn't understand why she had to leave her friendly old school in England and come to America with her parents. After all, her older brother was allowed to stay at home, so why wasn't she?

"It's time for us to go now, sweetheart," Mrs Tyler said to her daughter gently. "I'm sure you'll be fine. By the time the holidays come around, you won't want to leave!"

Poppy glanced around her new bedroom. It was painted light yellow and Poppy had to admit that it looked nice. However she didn't believe that she would ever enjoy a new school. Grudgingly, she hugged her mother and father goodbye and watched them leave the room. Now she really did feel alone.

There was another bed in the room, which was untouched. Mrs Herson, who was the housemother, had told Poppy that another fifteen-year-old would be sharing the bedroom with her. Poppy didn't really know what to do but wait for the new arrival. After a twenty minute wait, the handle turned and the door slowly creaked open. Poppy stared expectantly, waiting for a face to appear, but all she could hear was talking. Finally, a brown-haired girl strode in confidently, but faltered when she saw Poppy perched on the duvet.

"Umm, hello?" The girl sounded unsure, "I think I must have got the wrong room. Sorry," She exited quickly.

Poppy sighed. She was pretty sure that the girl was meant to be sharing with her, but it seemed that making friends in this school wouldn't come naturally.

The girl reappeared and slowly closed the door of the room before heaving her suitcase onto the bed.

"Sorry about that," She blushed shyly, "I'm Malory O'Neill. My friend said she would be rooming with me this year, but I guess not. Anyway, enough about me."

"I'm Poppy."

Malory's eyes lit up. "Are you English? One of my best friends is from England. I love the accent."

Poppy smiled. Malory seemed friendly enough. "Yeah, I used to live near London," She replied. "Close enough to be able to visit the shops every day, but far away enough to be able to ride."

Malory's grin got even wider. "You go horse riding? I'm not surprised you came to Chestnut Hill then, it's heaven. Nearly everyone here rides- including me," She added.

Poppy nodded enthusiastically. "It was the only reason I came here," She admitted, "I used to help at the stables every Saturday. I think I put my name down for lessons every week, and I hope I can do some extra work at the yard aswell."

"As soon as I've got changed, we are going down to that barn and I'll introduce you to all the horses and people," Malory grinned. "You'll like my friends. I think you'll fit in just fine."

* * *

><p>After the two girls had flung on some jodhpurs and riding boots, they headed over to the Chestnut Hill Equestrian Centre. As they walked over, Malory informed Poppy about her new school and essential tips on getting around. Any shyness on either girls' part had been overcome and once they arrived in the American barn they were laughing and joking. Poppy noticed three girls standing around an end loose box and Malory introduced her.<p>

"Guys! This is my new roommate. Poppy, meet Lani, Honey and Dylan."

The three girls smiled and waved in turn. Lani was quite tall with light brown hair and a warm expression, Honey was petite with blonde curls and Dylan was a redhead with green eyes. Poppy prayed that she would remember each of their names but, knowing her awful memory, she doubted that she would.

"Poppy's English, like you," said Malory, nudging Honey. Honey didn't respond- she was staring at Poppy with a knowing look on her face.

"You're not...no...you're not called Poppy Tyler, are you?" She asked hesitantly.

Poppy narrowed her brow. As she looked at Honey, recognition spread across her face.

"Honey? Felicity _Honey_ Harper? Is that you?"

Honey launched herself on Poppy and hugged her tightly. "I never thought I'd see you again!" She gasped, "What on earth are you doing over here?"

"England must be a small country," joked Lani, "Everybody knows each other over there!"

Honey released Poppy and giggled. "Shh, Lani," She scolded her playfully, "But I haven't seen Poppy since Year- I mean 5th Grade!"

Poppy nodded. "We used to be best friends, but we lost touch when Honey moved. We went riding together all the time."

The girls spoke together excitedly for a few more minutes, with Poppy trying to update Honey in a nutshell about everything that had been happening in Britain, with Honey talking about her new life in Virginia. Poppy felt mean because Malory, Lani and Dylan hadn't got a clue what was going on, but she could talk to them later. Now she wanted to talk to Honey, the only other person who could understand what she had gone through. The two girls could have talked for hours, but their converation was abruptly cut short when they heard a horsebox pulling up near the barn. The girls rushed out to see what was happening.

A woman got out of the cab and gave the girls a friendly wave. "That's Ms Carmichael," Lani muttered, "Chief riding instructor. She's also Dylan's aunt, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't give us a hard time!"

Everyone laughed, including Ms Carmichael. "I heard that, Miss Hernandez!" She called.

The noise died down as Ms Carmichael undid the lorry door and went inside to fetch the occupant. She slowly edged down the ramp, followed slowly by a beautiful bright chestnut horse. The golden coat glistened in the late summer sun and the horse's eyes were wide and alert. He looked at least sixteen hands and rivalled an Olympic showjumper or eventer.

"He's gorgeous," whistled Honey admiringly.

"Hands off- he's mine," Malory grinned.

Ms Carmichael only half smiled. "I'm afraid he doesn't belong to any of you. This is Simba, and he belongs to Lynsey Harrison."


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe that girl's got another horse!" Dylan Walsh groaned to Poppy as the two girls left the science classroom. Poppy's first day of lessons had proven better than she had expected, but she was desperate to visit the stables and have her first riding lesson. Dylan and the others hadn't stopped complaining about the arrival of Simba but Poppy didn't understand what was wrong. She hadn't yet Lynsey yet, but surely she wasn't as snobby as her friends made her out to be?

"How many people are in our riding lesson?" Poppy asked Dylan, keen to change the subject.

Dylan cocked her head as she counted on her fingers. "There's just you, Honey, Mal, Lani, Lynsey...oh, and me, this year. We tried to get Lynsey out of our group, but..."

"Which horse do you ride, then?" Poppy tried in vain to keep Dylan from discussing her favourite topic of Lynsey.

"Morello," Dylan responded without a second's doubt. Her eyes glazed over slightly and she smiled blissfully. "He belongs to my aunt- you know, Ms Carmichael- but I treat him like he's my own. He has his quirks, but I love him anyway!"

The pair returned to their bedrooms to get changed into their riding clothes. They were meeting the rest of the riders down at the yard but they had to be ready in five minutes. Poppy pulled on her jodhpurs and grabbed a jacket before racing to meet Dylan in the hallway. Together they raced down to the riding school, skidding to a halt just as Ms Carmichael appeared out of her office.

"How kind of you girls to finally join us!" She joked, the twinkle in her eye ironing out her serious tone of voice.

Dylan rolled her eyes. "We were what- two minutes late? Give us a break, Aunt- I mean Ms Carmichael!"

Poppy shot an apologetic smile at Lani, Malory and Honey, who were standing, grinning, beside a pile of hay. Standing to Honey's right was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who cast an annoyed glance in Poppy's direction. Poppy shuddered. This must be the infamous Lynsey Harrison, who everyone loved to hate. With her French-manicured nails and fashionable riding wear, Lynsey looked out of place amongst the girls with untidy hair and muddy boots.

"So..." Ms Carmichael held up her clipboard, "I've assigned you with your horses. I've put you on different horses than maybe you're used to, because the more horses you ride, the better rider you become. It's nice to get you girls out of your comfort zones, too. However, Lynsey, I understand you want to ride your new horse, which is your choice as he does belong to you."

With a smirk, Lynsey left the group, brushing past Poppy's shoulder as she did so. Honey rolled her eyes and Dylan bit back a sharp retort. Ms Carmichael ignored her pupils and consulted her list. "Next, I'd like you to ride Colorado, Malory."

Malory and Lani exchanged looks. "But Lani rides Colorado?" Malory said, puzzled.

Ms Carmichael laughed. "That's the point! I want you to ride other horses to stretch your riding abilities." Malory looked aghast but went to tack up Colorado. "Dylan, I want you to ride Minnie."

Poppy already knew that Minnie was Honey's dressage horse who she adored. But Dylan seemed excited to ride a pony other than her favourite coloured. "Sure thing," She replied airily as she retreated.

"I've put you on Morello, Lani, and Honey, you're on Tybalt," said Ms Carmichael after a few seconds pause. Honey gulped with fright but Lani looked pleased, and they left just Ms Carmichael and Poppy in the barn.

"Poppy Tyler..." Ms Carmichael hummed as she scanned the paper, "Today you'll be riding Bluegrass. You might know this already, but Bluegrass was Lynsey's horse. Her parents sold him to us to use for lessons. Don't let Lynsey intimidate you into riding him how she likes him to be ridden- see for yourself what he's like and make your own mind up." Poppy smiled gratefully at her riding instructor as she directed her to Bluegrass' stable. Standing with his head over the door was a stunning blue roan, who nickered at Poppy as she arrived.

"Hello, gorgeous," Poppy murmured as she quickly but gently tacked up the handsome gelding. Bluegrass fidgeted and sidestepped as she tightened the girth, breathing heavily. Poppy wasn't scared but she hoped that he would calm down in time for the lesson.

"We'd better head over to the indoor school," said Honey, peering over Bluegrass' stable door with Tybalt in tow. "Bluegrass looks a bit lively- you'll be okay on him, though."

Poppy nodded. "It's probably just too much nice grass," She agreed, leading him out his stable alongside Tybalt. The blue roan bared his teeth at the bay, who skidded to the side.

"Watch it!"

Lynsey Harrison scowled at Poppy as she led Simba past the two girls and their ponies. The horse's muscles rippled with every powerful stride and as they walked into the arena, all eyes were on Simba. Poppy quietly mounted and tightened the girth again before nudging Bluegrass forwards into an active walk. The gelding impatiently played with the bit in his mouth as they circled the arena.

"You look good on him, Poppy!" Dylan called from Minnie's back.

"Thanks- you suit Minnie too," Poppy responded, because Dylan really did look the perfect size for the diminutive pony.

"How do you stop this thing!" Lani yelled as she trotted past Dylan, pretending to be out of control as Morello stretched his legs happily. Dylan and Poppy laughed but Ms Carmichael's stern look made Lani ride properly. Poppy was impressed by how Lani deftly turned the paint pony around the corners of the school.

As the lesson progressed, it appeared that Honey and Malory weren't getting on with their mounts as well as Dylan and Lani were. Tybalt had taken it upon himself to buck every time he was asked to canter and Honey was nearly unseated when he spooked at a sunbeam.

"Keep breathing, Honey," Ms Carmichael encouraged her, "If you tense up, so will Tybalt."

Malory was having more trouble getting Colorado into the canter itself. The buckskin was fast when he wanted to be, but during lessons he tended to become incredibly lazy to avoid doing anything that involved hard work. Malory was used to the forward-going Tybalt so she struggled to get Colorado moving forward off her leg.

Lynsey and Simba were cantering figure of eight movements around the school, with Simba perfectly balanced and accepting the bit. Ms Carmichael smiled approvingly at Simba's elegant transitions whereas Dylan snorted and muttered every time the pair passed.

"Keep an even rhythm with Bluegrass," Ms Carmichael instructed Poppy, "I can tell he's being a bit of a handful but keep his attention and do lots of changes of rein."

After the fifteen-minute warm-up, Poppy's arms were hurting from having to hold back Bluegrass every time one of the other horses cantered. He would jog whenever anybody overtook them and Poppy practically had to force him to halt when Ms Carmichael asked them to slow down. Poppy was glad for the few minutes of relief as Ms Carmichael put up a simple cross pole in the centre of the school.

"Well, I have to say that I'm satisfied that this lesson is a success," announced the instructor as she strode over to her pupils, "However I would like to test your new-found partnerships even further by asking you to tackle a jump."

There was muttering among the girls, and Poppy patted Bluegrass' neck reassuringly. She had heard from Dylan that Bluegrass was a fantastic jumper so she had faith in him. She spotted Lynsey cast a disapproving glance in her direction but ignored her.

"Lynsey, can you please go first with Simba."

Lynsey nodded confidently and pushed her horse into a controlled canter. Upon turning to the jump, the pace picked up and Simba cleared the poles with a foot to spare.

"Great, Lynsey," Ms Carmichael shouted. "We'll have you next, Dylan."

One by one, the girls cleared the jumps- some with just a millimetre to spare. Poppy had been left until last which aggravated Bluegrass even more. As she nudged him into trot, the gelding shot into canter and headed towards the jump at an angle. Poppy encouraged him towards the middle of the jump but Bluegrass raised his head and careered towards the highest part of the jump.

They were just a metre away when Lynsey sneezed. The sound echoed around the covered arena and caused Tybalt to leap into the air. Bluegrass cat-leaped over the jump, causing Poppy to cling onto his neck, before landing and bucking four times in a row. She tried in vain to stay on his back, however after losing a stirrup she lost her balance and found herself dumped on the floor after Bluegrass' bucking spree.

The sand from the arena floor had got in her eyes and a searing pain in her ankle made her unable to stand. Poppy lay on the floor in a heap, wanting to cry but feeling humiliated at falling off.

"Are you alright?"

Poppy had expected to hear Ms Carmichael's voice, but it sounded like a boy was beside her. Wincing, she rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them. Crouched next to her was a boy who was staring at her with a concerned look in his blue eyes. The way his curly brown hair fell over his left eye was adorable and Poppy found herself coming back to life.

"I'll take over... Poppy, can you hear me?"

Poppy shuffled to her feet and winced as her ankle attempted to bear her weight. "I-I'm fine," She stammered, blushing as she felt her friends' stares burn into her back. The boy remained by her side, his face worried, but Ms Carmichael turned to him.

"Thank you, Caleb," She smiled wanly, "Can you go and inform the Chestnut Hill nurse that we need her down here."

Caleb glanced once more at Poppy before jogging to the gate and leaving. Poppy stared at the floor as she heard the instructor give directions to the rest of the girls. Chestnut Hill was meant to be a new start, but she had managed to embarrass herself on the first day. Her new friends were whispering about her but Poppy didn't blame them. She hadn't exactly made the best of first impressions on Caleb, either. As she watched Bluegrass come to a halt beside the gate, Poppy wondered if coming to America had been the right decision after all.


End file.
